Instructors are invited to S&T’s Symposium on Service Learning 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in St. Pat’s Ballroom C of the Havener Center. Seating is limited. RSVP to Dedie Wilson, experiential learning specialist, at byfieldr@mst.edu by Friday, Sept. 21, to reserve your spot. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The symposium will provide ideas about the benefits of service learning for you and your students at Missouri S&T. Two new practical workshops were designed to help instructors incorporate service learning into their courses. The workshops are titled “Intro to Service Learning” and “How to Add Service Learning to Your Course.”

Academic service learning describes a type of experiential learning in which students in a course engage in service to the community, and the service activity enhances and relates to the course content.

How can service learning affect your teaching and scholarship? Some benefits discussed will include:

• Encourage interactive teaching methods and reciprocal learning between students and faculty
• Add new insights and dimensions to class discussions
• Lead to new avenues for research and publication
• Promote students’ active learning; engage students with different learning styles
• Develop students’ civic and leadership skills
• Boost course enrollment by attracting highly motivated and engaged students
• Provide networking opportunities with engaged faculty in other disciplines
• Provide firsthand knowledge of community issues; provide opportunities to be more involved in community issues

One faculty member says, “Service learning has helped me become a more effective mentor for students, especially in the areas of project management, team dynamics, and communication skills.”

Learn more about the symposium.